This piece originally aired July 15, 2015, during All Things Considered.
A peaceful vigil to remember the nine church members gunned down in South Carolina and to promote gun safety will be held in Wichita’s Old Town Friday.
The Rising for Charleston vigil will take place one month after the massacre where nine African Americans were murdered in a South Carolina African Methodist Episcopal church. Victims will be honored with the ringing of a bell and the recitation of their names.
Retired Wichita pastor Rev. Michael Poage says participants will advocate for reduction of gun violence in Wichita and the state of Kansas.
"There are too many chances for so-called accidents where lots of people can get killed or the guns could fall into the wrong hands," Poage says. "It can go from a responsible gun owner to somebody who should not have a gun."
A new law went into effect in Kansas on July 1 that allows concealed carry of firearms without a permit.
If you go:
When: July 17, 6-7 p.m.
Where: Warren Plaza in Old Town, Wichita
